Athletic shoes have been designed to the particular needs of the sport or use in which the shoe is to be used. Each portion of the prior art athletic shoes, i.e., the shoe upper and the various sole layers, have been constructed with the particular end use in mind. In the design and construction of prior art outer soles for athletic shoes, traction has been the primary factor given consideration. While traction is important, other performance factors can also be significantly affected by outersole design and such factors merit greater emphasis than has been accorded them by the prior art. Moreover since the outersole constitutes about one third of the total weight of the shoe, it is important to maximize its contribution.
One type of sole used in athletic shoes is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,947 issued to Francis Denu on Dec. 26, 1978. The sole disclosed in this patent utilizes a plurality of ribs which extend partially across the width of the sole. All of the ribs appear to be of equal width.
Another type of sole for use with athletic shoes is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,058 issued to Jeffery L. Hollester et al. on Aug. 23, 1977. In the '058 patent, an outer sole is disclosed which includes a plurality of polygon-shaped studs extending downwardly from the lower surface of the outer sole. The studs provide the shoe with good traction and additional cushioning.